Formfactor, Inc.

Adeia Semiconductor Bonding Technologies Inc.

International Business Machines Corporation

Other

Berkeley Lights, Inc.

University of California

Ist Associates, Inc.

Igor Y Khandros

Gaetan L Mathieu

Benjamin N Eldridge

Gary W Grube

Thomas H DiStefano

David V Pedersen

Benjamin N Eldridge, Jr

Thomas H Dozier, Ii

A Nicholas Sporck

Charles A Miller

Ralph G Whitten

William D Smith

Thomas H Dozier

Ming C Wu

Rod Martens

Timothy E Cooper

Gaetan Mathiew

Michael A Stadt

J Tanner Nevill

Carl V Reynolds

Jason Sweis

Poya Lotfizadeh

David A Gibson

Chih-Chiang Tseng

Gary William Grube

Laurie Union

Gaetar L Mathieu

Peter Alfred Gruber

Richard Stephen Roy

Arthur R Zingher

Pei-Yu E Chiou

John K Gritters

Kevin T Chapman

Treliant Fang

Steven W Short

Richard B Booth

Scott G Ehrenberg

Alec Madsen

Kuo-Wei Huang

Sung Chul Chang

Alexander H Slocum, Jr

Christopher Vincent Jahnes

Wu-Song S Huang

Leathen Shi

Ravi F Saraf

Robert J Baseman

Barbara Vasquez

Daniele Malleo

Stuart W Wenzel

Onnik Yaglioglu

Bruce Barbara

Michael A Russak

John A Grange

Rodney I Martens

Gerald S Frankel

Jim Chih-Chiang Tseng

Christopher C Buckholtz

David V Pederson

Michael Harburn

Jimmy Kuo Chen

Yoshikazu Hatsukano

Seyyed M Mirzamaani

Peter B Madakson

David H Hsu

Michael A Drush

Ga&eacute;tan Mathiew

David S Hsu

Ga&egrave;tan Mathiew

Alex Madsen

A microfluidic apparatus can comprise a dielectrophoresis (DEP) configured section for holding a first liquid medium and selectively inducing net DEP forces in the first liquid medium. The microfluidic apparatus can also comprise an electrowetting (EW) configured section for holding a second liquid medium on an electrowetting surface and selectively changing an effective wetting property of the electrowetting surface. The DEP configured section can be utilized to select and move a micro-object in the first liquid medium. The EW configured section can be utilized to pull a droplet of the first liquid medium into the second liquid medium.

DEP force control and electrowetting control in different sections of the same microfluidic apparatus

Microfluidic devices in which electrokinetic mechanisms move droplets of a liquid or particles in a liquid are described. The devices include at least one electrode that is optically transparent and/or flexible.

Microfluidic devices with flexible optically transparent electrodes

Individual biological micro-objects can be deterministically selected and moved into holding pens in a micro-fluidic device. A flow of a first liquid medium can be provided to the pens. Physical pens can be structured to impede a direct flow of the first medium into a second medium in the pens while allowing diffusive mixing of the first medium and the second medium. Virtual pens can allow a common flow of medium to multiple ones of the pens.

Pens for biological micro-objects

A structure for providing a boundary for a chamber in a microfluidic apparatus can comprise dielectrophoresis (DEP) configurations each having an outer surface and electrowetting (EW) configurations each having an electrowetting surface. The DEP configurations can facilitate generating net DEP forces with respect to the outer surfaces of the DEP configurations to move micro-objects on the outer surfaces, and the EW configurations can facilitate changing wetting properties of the electrowetting surfaces to move droplets of liquid medium on the electrowetting surfaces.

Providing DEP manipulation devices and controllable electrowetting devices in the same microfluidic apparatus

An apparatus and method providing improved interconnection elements and tip structures for effecting pressure connections between terminals of electronic components is described. The tip structure of the present invention has a sharpened blade oriented on the upper surface of the tip structure such that the length of the blade is substantially parallel to the direction of horizontal movement of the tip structure as the tip structure deflects across the terminal of an electronic component. In this manner, the sharpened substantially parallel oriented blade slices cleanly through any non-conductive layer(s) on the surface of the terminal and provides a reliable electrical connection between the interconnection element and the terminal of the electrical component.

Sharpened, oriented contact tip structures

An exemplary die carrier is disclosed. In some embodiments, the die carrier can hold a plurality of singulated dies while the dies are tested. The dies can be arranged on the carrier in a pattern that facilities testing the dies. The carrier can be configured to allow interchangeable interfaces to different testers to be attached to and detached from the carrier. The carrier can also be configured as a shipping container for the dies.

Apparatus and method of testing singulated dies

Contact structures exhibiting resilience or compliance for a variety of electronic components are formed. A variety of materials for the wire stem (which serves as a falsework) and for the overcoat (which serves as a superstructure over the falsework) are disclosed. Various techniques are described for mounting the contact structures to a variety of electronic components (e.g., semiconductor wafers and dies, semiconductor packages, interposers, interconnect substrates, etc.), and various process sequences are described. The resilient contact structures described herein are ideal for making a 'temporary' (probe) connections to an electronic component such as a semiconductor die, for burn-in and functional testing.

Method of wirebonding that utilizes a gas flow within a capillary from which a wire is played out

A probe card assembly includes a probe card, a space transformer having resilient contact structures (probe elements) mounted directly to (i.e., without the need for additional connecting wires or the like) and extending from terminals on a surface thereof, and an interposer disposed between the space transformer and the probe card. The space transformer and interposer are 'stacked up' so that the orientation of the space transformer, hence the orientation of the tips of the probe elements, can be adjusted without changing the orientation of the probe card. Suitable mechanisms for adjusting the orientation of the space transformer, and for determining what adjustments to make, are disclosed. The interposer has resilient contact structures extending from both the top and bottom surfaces thereof, and ensures that electrical connections are maintained between the space transformer and the probe card throughout the space transformer's range of adjustment, by virtue of the interposer's inherent compliance. Multiple die sites on a semiconductor wafer are readily probed using the disclosed techniques, and the probe elements can be arranged to optimize probing of an entire wafer. Composite interconnection elements having a relatively soft core overcoated by a relatively hard shell, as the resilient contact structures are described.

Probe card assembly and kit, and methods of making same

Semiconductor dies are stacked offset from one another so that terminals located along two edges of each die are exposed. The two edges of the dies having terminals may be oriented in the same direction. Electrical connections may connect terminals on one die with terminals on another die, and the stack may be disposed on a wiring substrate to which the terminals of the dies may be electrically connected.

Stacked die module

A composite spring contact structure includes a structural component and a conduction component distinct from each other and having differing mechanical and electrical characteristics. The structural component can include a group of carbon nanotubes. A mechanical characteristic of the composite spring contact structure can be dominated by a mechanical characteristic of the structural component, and an electrical characteristic of the composite spring contact structure can be dominated by an electrical characteristic of the conduction component. Composite spring contact structures can be used in probe cards and other electronic devices. Various ways of making contact structures are also disclosed.

Carbon nanotube spring contact structures with mechanical and electrical components

Spring contact elements are fabricated by depositing at least one layer of metallic material into openings defined on a sacrificial substrate. The openings may be within the surface of the substrate, or in one or more layers deposited on the surface of the sacrificial substrate. Each spring contact element has a base end portion, a contact end portion, and a central body portion. The contact end portion is offset in the z-axis (at a different height) than the central body portion. The base end portion is preferably offset in an opposite direction along the z-axis from the central body portion. In this manner, a plurality of spring contact elements are fabricated in a prescribed spatial relationship with one another on the sacrificial substrate. The spring contact elements are suitably mounted by their base end portions to corresponding terminals on an electronic component, such as a space transformer or a semiconductor device, whereupon the sacrificial substrate is removed so that the contact ends of the spring contact elements extend above the surface of the electronic component. In an exemplary use, the spring contact elements are thereby disposed on a space transformer component of a probe card assembly so that their contact ends effect pressure connections to corresponding terminals on another electronic component, for the purpose of probing the electronic component.

Microelectronic contact structure

A method of designing and manufacturing a probe card assembly includes prefabricating one or more elements of the probe card assembly to one or more predefined designs. Thereafter, design data regarding a newly designed semiconductor device is received along with data describing the tester and testing algorithms to be used to test the semiconductor device. Using the received data, one or more of the prefabricated elements is selected. Again using the received data, one or more of the selected prefabricated elements is customized. The probe card assembly is then built using the selected and customized elements.

Multilayered probe card

A central test facility transmits wirelessly test data to a local test facility, which tests electronic devices using the test data. The local test facility transmits wirelessly response data generated by the electronic devices back to the central test facility, which analyzes the response data to determine which electronic devices passed the testing. The central test facility may provide the results of the testing to other entities, such as a design facility where the electronic devices were designed or a manufacturing facility where the electronic devices where manufactured. The central test facility may accept requests for test resources from any of a number of local test facilities, schedule test times corresponding to each test request, and at a scheduled test time, wirelessly transmits test data to a corresponding local test facility.

Remote test facility with wireless interface to local test facilities

Growing community of inventors

Orinda, CA, United States of America

Igor Y Khandros